Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax- lily ( Dianella amoena ) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 Project: 09-008 Prepared for: Melbourne Water Corporation ©2014 Ecology Australia Pty Ltd This publication is copyright. It may only be used in accordance with the agreed terms of the commission. Except as provided for by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from Ecology Australia Pty Ltd. Document information This is a controlled document. Details of the document ownership, location, distribution, status and revision history are listed below. All comments or requests for changes to content should be addressed to the document owner. Bioregion: Highlands - Southern Fall Owner Ecology Australia Pty Ltd Author G. Carr and J. Kershaw J:\CURRENT PROJECTS\Sugarloaf Pipeline Dianella 09- Location 008\Reports\Spring 2014 report\Sugarloaf Dianella_Spring 2014_DRAFT14Nov2014.docx Distribution Andrea Burns Land Asset Melbourne Water Management Document History Status Changes By Date Draft 1 Addition of text and tables GW Carr 14/11/2014 Final Insertion of figures L Gow 17/11/2014 Ecology Australia Pty Ltd Flora and Fauna Consultants www.ecologyaustralia.com.au [email protected] 88B Station Street, Fairfield, Victoria 3078, Australia Tel: (03) 9489 4191 Fax: (03) 9481 7679 Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 Contents Acknowledgments vi Summary 1 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Study area 2 2 Methods 5 2.1 Monitoring 5 2.2 Representative quadrats (subplots) 5 2.3 Plant names 6 2.4 Limitations 6 3 Results 7 3.1 Performance of Dianella amoena plants 7 3.2 Weed invasions on the Sugarloaf Pipeline easement plant-out site 8 3.3 Indigenous species 11 3.4 Weed species outside the plant-out site 12 3.5 Hunts Lane north 12 3.6 Hunts Lane south 13 4 Management issues 20 4.1 Weed invasions – see Section 5 20 4.2 Cattle breaking fence 20 4.3 Cattle in the plot 20 4.4 Hard rubbish 20 4.5 Overhanging trees 20 4.6 Weeds in the tree plantation 20 5 Factors affecting the survival and performance of Dianella amoena 21 5.1 Performance of translocated Dianella 21 5.2 Weed invasions 21 5.3 Pollination of Dianella amoena 22 5.4 Other factors 22 6 Outcomes of the Dianella amoena translocation program 23 7 Recommendations 24 8 References 25 Tables Table 1 Percentage survival of translocated Dianella plants for each monitoring site, Gibbs Road and Hunts Lane, Yarra Glen 7 Final iii Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 Table 2 Plant species recorded in the Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) receptor site, Sugarloaf Pipeline easement, Yarra Glen, 12 November 2014 9 Figures Figure 1 Translocated Matted Flax-lily ( Dianella amoena ) plant-out site, Gibbs Road, Yarra Glen 3 Figure 2 Matted Flax-lily ( Dianella amoena ) ‘replanting’ sites, Hunts Lane, Yarra Glen 4 Figure 3 Average number of shoots per Dianella plant for initial survey (2010) and final survey (2013 or 2014), Gibbs Road and Hunts Lane, Yarra Glen. 7 Figure 4 Average basal diameter of Dianella plants for initial survey (2010) and final survey (2013 or 2014), Gibbs Road and Hunts Lane, Yarra Glen. 8 Figure 5 Average maximum leaf length of Dianella plants for initial survey (2010) and final survey (2013 or 2014), Gibbs Road and Hunts Lane, Yarra Glen. 8 Plates Plate 1 General view of the Gibbs Road Dianella amoena plant-out site showing high weed cover (12 Nov 2014) 13 Plate 2 View of the Gibbs Road site showing high weed cover, the plantation of trees on private property to the immediate south, and the recently slashed North-South pipeline easement (12 Nov 2014) 14 Plate 3 Overhanging trees, with Pin Oak ( Quercus palustris ) casting heavy shade (12 Nov 2014) 14 Plate 4 Flowering Dianella amoena under the dense Pin Oak (12 Nov 2014) 15 Plate 5 Cattle have broken down the fence on the south side of the Gibbs Road plant-out site, causing some Dianella amoena plants to be grazed (12 Nov 2014) 15 Plate 6 The Hunts Lane north Dianella amoena X D. admixta plant-out site showing dense exotic grass cover (12 Nov 2014) 16 Plate 7 A Dianella amoena X D. admixta plant in bud, growing in the dense exotic sward, Hunts Lane north (12 Nov 2014) 16 Plate 8 The Hunts Lane south Dianella amoena plant-out site showing a very dense cover of exotic grasses (12 Nov 2014) 17 Plate 9 Very dense exotic grass sward at the Hunts Lane south planting site (12 Nov 2014) 17 Plate 10 Quadrat 1 at the Gibbs Road Dianella amoena plant-out site (5 Nov 2014) 18 Plate 11 Quadrat 2 at the Gibbs Road Dianella amoena plant-out site (5 Nov 2014) 18 Plate 12 Quadrat 3 at the Gibbs Road Dianella amoena plant-out site (5 Nov 2014) 19 Plate 13 Quadrat 4 at the Gibbs Road Dianella amoena plant-out site (5 Nov 2014) 19 Final iv Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 Appendices Appendix 1 Dianella amoena data collected from two 2 x 2.7 m quadrats (Quadrats 3 and 4) at Gibbs Road, Yarra Glen, plant-out site, November 2014. 26 Appendix 2 Dianella amoena data collected from Hunts Lane (north) plant-out site, Yarra Glen, November 2014. 28 Appendix 3 Location of planted Matted Flax-lily ( Dianella amoena ) within Quadrats (subplots) 1 – 4 in the Gibbs Road translocation site, Yarra Glen 29 Final v Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 Acknowledgments The assistance of the following people is gratefully acknowledged: Lucy Gow and Sarah Bedggood (Ecology Australia), and Andrea Burns (Melbourne Water). Final vi Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 Summary This report presents the results of the 5 and 12 November 2014 monitoring by Ecology Australia of the Matted Flax- lily ( Dianella amoena ) population translocated (1172 plants) to the Gibbs Road, Yarra Glen, North-South Pipeline easement in 2010 (year five of the program). Also monitored were the re-established populations of D. amoena x D. admixta at the Hunts Lane north site, Steels Creek, and the D. amoena re-establishment site at Hunts Lane south, Steels Creek. Both sub-populations were harvested in error in 2010. Data are given on two subplots at the Gibbs Road site and the Hunts Lane sites. Considerable logistic difficulties were encountered in documenting plants on the other two subplots because of merging of Dianella plants and dense weed infestations. Results of the 5-year monitoring program are highly reviewed. They show that: • Dianella amoena is easily translocated and as a robust, rhizomatous herb it readily establishes and very soon becomes reproductive. • Survivorship amongst the cohorts was high over the period of monitoring, ranging from 70% - 100% on the subplots/sites. • Upward and positive trends in vegetative performance (growth) was documented in the number of shoots per plant, basal diameter of plants and leaf length, confirming ease of establishment and excellent growth under good conditions. • Weed invasions (numerous species) present a severe problem and weed control is the only significant management issue. • Weed invasions will destroy or substantially all Dianella plants over short to intermediate time-frames without appropriate management. • Management of weeds will be an ongoing requirement. • Three Dianella amoena populations in road reserves – Gulf Road, Yarraview Road and the Melba Highway, Yarra Glen- are now extinct because of weed invasions. • Natural pollination of D. amoena flowers by two or three species of native bees is occurring at the Gibbs Road site. Several other relatively minor management issues are identified and discussed, and recommendations are made in respect to some of these issues. If the populations of Dianella are to be retained into the future, monitoring of the plants and of weed invasions, as well as on- ground weed management actions, are essential. Final 1 Sugarloaf Pipeline Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) Translocation: Monitoring Spring 2014 1 Introduction This report documents the spring 2014 monitoring of translocated Matted Flax-lily ( Dianella amoena ) plants from a plant-out site located to the south of Gibbs Road, Yarra Glen. These plants had been salvaged (then planted in 2010) from parent material occurring within the approved Construction Area of the Sugarloaf pipeline easement (refer to Draft Matted Flax Lily - Translocation Commitment Document, SPA-REP-GL-ENV-Rev A). Matted Flax-lily plants were also monitored at Hunts Lane (south), Melba Highway, Steels Creek, where they were replanted after being ‘salvaged’ in error; and Hybrid Flax-lily (Dianella amoena x D. admixta ) plants were monitored at Hunts Lane (north) (Melba Highway) which were also ‘salvaged’ in error and then replanted. This monitoring assessment was the fifth (and final) undertaken by Ecology Australia for this project; preceding monitoring assessments were undertaken in: • May 2010 (Carr and Kershaw 2010); • January 2011 (Carr and Rodda 2011); • May 2012 (Carr and Appleby 2012); and • May 2013 (Carr and McMahon 2013). 1.1 Study area The translocated Matted Flax-lily receptor site is located just to the south of Gibbs Road, Yarra Glen, within the Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance easement, and measures c. 120 x 3.0 m (Figure 1). It is fenced with a conventional farm fence. The southern boundary abuts private land with a narrow plantation of fairly small trees which include Silky Oak ( Grevillea robusta ), Pin Oak (Quercus palustris ), Yellow Gum ( Eucalyptus leucoxylon ) and Red Gum ( E. camaldulensis ). The two sites containing erroneously salvaged (and replanted) Flax-lily plants are located a short distance north and south of the intersection of Hunts Lane and Melba Highway, Steels Creek (Figure 2).